The present invention relates generally to the dyeing and printing of textile products, and more particularly, to the printing of dyed polyester fabrics with a plastisol printing composition.
Polyester and nylon fibers are the two synthetic textile fibers most commonly and widely used in the production of textile fabrics, particularly fabrics used in the manufacture of apparel. While each fiber has differing physical and chemical characteristics, both fibers are generally suitable for a wide variety of apparel applications. Since polyester fibers typically are considerably less expensive to manufacture, fabrics made of polyester yams tend to be preferred over nylon fabrics in applications for which both types of fibers would be suitable.
One application, however, for which polyester yams are conventionally deemed to be unsuitable are applications in which the fabric is to be imprinted with a composition having an ink or dye dissolved in a plastisizer or similar solvent, commonly referred to as a xe2x80x9cplastisolxe2x80x9d. For the most part, polyester fibers are dyeable only by means of disperse dyes which, unfortunately are soluble in the plastisizers used in plastisol printing compositions. Thus, when a dyed polyester fabric is printed using a plastisol printing composition, the plastisizers in the plastisol act as a solvent for the disperse dyes in the polyester fabric and tend to leach the disperse dyes from the polyester fabric into the printing composition. As a result, the printed designs or images tend to become blurred and to appear stained, especially when a white or light colored plastisol composition is used.
Nylon fabrics, on the other hand, are commonly dyed using acid-based dyes which are unaffected by the plastisizers in plastisol printing compositions. Hence, in fabric applications wherein it is desired to imprint the fabric using a plastisol printing composition, especially of a white or other light color, nylon fabrics are the fabric of choice, even though more expensive than polyester fabrics. One such application is the printing of letters or numbers on athletic jerseys, but of course there are numerous other fabric applications in which single or multi-color printing with a plastisol composition would be desirable.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a process by which a dyed polyester fabric may be printed with a plastisol printing composition without the conventional problem of dissolving and leaching the dye of the fabric into the printing composition. An additional object of the present invention is to provide a resultant fabric of polyester yams not only dyed but also printed with a plastisol composition.
Briefly summarized, the present invention achieves these objectives by applying a blocking composition to a selected surface area of a dyed polyester fabric which is desired to be printed with a plastisol printing composition, in order to form a printing receptor barrier over the selected fabric area, following which the plastisol printing composition is imprinted in a desired image or pattern onto the barrier in the selected fabric area. Basically, the barrier substantially separates the fabric and the plastisol printing composition from one another to prevent chemical interaction between the plastisizer or other solvent in the printing composition and the dye in the polyester fibers of the fabric, thereby preventing undesired discoloration of the printing composition. Dyed polyester fabrics thusly printed comprise another aspect of the present invention.
As more fully described hereinafter, various chemical compositions may be utilized as the blocking composition and may be applied in differing manners to a dyed polyester fabric without departing from the substance or scope of the invention. Further details, features and advantages of the present invention will be described and understood from a more detailed disclosure of the present invention set forth below with reference to the accompanying drawings.